Call to Conserve Water

Posted on Monday, Jan. 27, 2014

As many of you know, Governor Brown recently declared a drought state of emergency in California. Santa Clara University is responding to this declaration with a goal to reduce our potable water usage by 20 percent. We have committed to reduce landscaping watering by 20 percent. Most of campus (over 85 percent) is already irrigated with recycled water, and we are expanding use of recycled water wherever possible.

Many of our buildings are already equipped with water-saving technology including low-flow/dual-flush toilets, sink faucet aerators, waterfree urinals, and low-flow showerheads (read more). We are increasing efforts to monitor these fixtures so we can respond to leaks as quickly as possible. We are also reading our water meters daily to help us detect and respond to leaks in real-time.

We are partnering with the Santa Clara Valley Water District to conduct water audits of the campus infrastructure and landscaping to determine where we can further reduce our water consumption.

Please join us in conserving water during your daily routines on campus.

Please report any leaks to Facilities (408-554-4742 or Facilities-CSC@scu.edu).

For those of you concerned about gardening and water use: The Forge Garden is offering a water-wise gardening workshop on March 29. Participants will learn about drought-tolerant landscaping as well as efficient water use (and re-use) for backyard gardens. RSVP here.